Lucian's POV:

"Little wolf, what do you say?" I asked preemptively. I wanted… No, I needed her to accept. She wasn't made for the wild, she wouldn't survive, and I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I didn't care if she rejected me. I'd just have to stay away from her.

"Ooooo… could you convince her not to reject you?" said Max.

"She seems to have made up her mind," I say, my chest heavy. I knew that if she rejected me, it would destroy me; I might not survive it. But I didn't care, as long as she was safe.

"You're a fool, I think she just needs you to prove to her that you're better, that you're different from her first partner."

"I don't know, Max, I don't know."

"Ugh! Can you talk already?!" Valerie said, raising her voice. I looked at my partner expectantly. She looked scared; I wanted to take her small body in my arms.

"Go ahead, you can answer," I encouraged her.

"A-Am-I'll s-stay." He stammered.

I mentally celebrated.

"I'm glad to know you can make decisions," Valerie said spitefully.

Valerie had always protected me; it was mutual, we always had each other's backs. When we were younger, Valerie was a slow grower, and her wolf didn't emerge until she was 15. The kids at school always called her omega and bullied her. Once, a boy pushed her down the stairs. I remember getting so angry, dragging the boy into the bathroom, and beating him to a pulp. The other students got the hint and left her alone. After that, we made a promise to protect each other from anything and anyone.

"Valerie, stop, please," I pleaded.

She held my gaze, as if she were about to rebel. I gave her a stern look. "Stop," I said through our mental link. Huffing, she stormed out the door, slamming it behind her. I ignored her as I turned to face Olivia.

"Are you ready to go, little wolf?" She didn't answer; it seemed she wanted to say something.

"Okay, you can say whatever you want," I said.

"I-" She clears her throat before continuing, "Shall we go to your c-house?"

"Yes, you'd have to stay at my house first; the pack house is occupied. Once you're settled in, I'll tell the pack builder to prepare your own place."

She nodded. She turned to Lena, "Goodbye, Lena," she said softly.

Lena hugged her, "I wish you luck, dear, you're coming to visit me, okay?" Lena said, pinching her cheek.

She let out a little laugh; it was the first time I saw her smile, it was beautiful.

"O-okay, I'll do it," he promised.

"Are you ready?" I ask.

Using her hand to smooth down her dress, she nodded. She was still wearing her hospital gown, so I made a note to get her some new clothes.

I led her to the door, opening it for her; she murmured a thank you. I didn't bring my car, but luckily, my house wasn't too far away.

On the way, with Olivia by my side, instead of the usual greetings, I could hear murmurs.

"Who is she?"

"She looks like a homeless person."

"Is she an omega?"

"She looks so weak, she could only be an omega."

At that, Olivia's steps faltered. She shrank further into herself.

"Everyone shut up!" I shouted through the mental link of the pack, I didn't care if it reached the entire pack, even those who weren't even there.

"I'm sorry, alpha."

"Yes, alpha."

I hear a collective response in my head. Olivia glanced over, and when she saw that everyone had stopped staring at her, she picked up her pace slightly, unconsciously getting closer to me.

The walk to the house took about 10 minutes. I noticed the house was cleaner, and Valerie wasn't there; she'd probably gone to her house, which was right across the street from mine. We used to live together, but when I got together with Sophie, she had to have her own house built. After Sophie died, she only comes to see me occasionally, and vice versa.

Olivia looked at the house in amazement, "Do you want me to take you to your room so you can settle in?" She nodded.

I took her upstairs to one of the rooms I had prepared. It was spacious, with a queen-size bed and a canopy. There was a hanging chair, a beanbag chair, a table and chair, and a laptop. It also had a bathroom.

He entered slowly, his eyes shining, "She's so beautiful," he whispered.

"I'm glad you like it. You can take a shower, I'll bring you some clothes, they're mine and they'll be too big for you, but we'll get you some later."

"O-okay."

"Okay, then I'll go downstairs and make dinner. Is there anything you don't like?" She shook her head.

"Okay, well, is there anything you like?"

"A-and I... uh... I like pasta," she says shyly.

"Well, pasta it is." I felt a strange kind of joy at knowing something about her, even if it was something small.

"I'll be back with the clothes."

As I turned to leave, I felt a slight tug on my shirt. I looked behind me; it was so small she had to crane her neck. "Thank you, Lucian, and I'm sorry," she said.

"Okay, little wolf, I'll be back," I say, leaving.

I went to my room, opened my closet, tried to find something comfortable, chose a t-shirt that was too small for me and some sweatshirts.

I went to her room, knocked twice, there was no answer, but I heard the shower running, so I went in, quickly dropped off my clothes and left.

I went to the kitchen. I'm a decent cook; my food tastes edible. I started cooking. The kitchen was an open space, so when Olivia was at the top of the stairs, I could see her.

She was playing with the hem of my t-shirt. It was so big it kept slipping off her shoulders, revealing her neck and shoulders. The sweatshirts were almost dragging on the floor. She looked so adorable. I could smell her scent better; it was mixed with mine through my clothes, and it smelled heavenly. I blinked and cleared my throat to stop sniffing her.

I took a step forward, about to go down, she tripped and fell down the stairs.